Bhopal, Jan 1 As Madhya Pradesh is gearing up for a heated Assembly polls in 2023, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath-led Congress has decided to kick start its campaign focussing on public issues and not to fall in BJP's 'communal' trap.
Congress had witnessed a massive political jolt in March 2020, when its elected government was toppled by the BJP.
The Congress claimed that the ruling BJP had contested recently concluded urban body polls on development works done in the last 18 years, but their development agenda was exposed, that is why people ousted the BJP from as many as Municipal Corporations.
As the BJP's state-level agenda did not work out, they will be totally reliant on Centre's schemes and therefore there is no doubt that a hype will be created on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and other sensitive issues, said a Congress functionary.
Sources said the Congress has decided to maintain a silence on these issues so as not to fall into the BJP's 'communal trap'.
A Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said: "The state BJP unit wants to implement the Centre's agenda and to create a hype on that. But, the Congress has decided to let them do so. It seems Home Minister Narottam Mishra has started leading the state unit BJP, instead of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. But, the Congress leadership has given a clear mantra that not to fall in BJP's communal trap."
Instead, the Congress has planned to follow mantras of Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'. The urban local body poll results and then Bharat Jodo Yatra have given momentum to the Congress and the party will try to maintain this momentum.
"The Congress has strengthened itself both in urban and rural areas. Tribal people have stood with the Congress. BJP relentlessly makes attempts to gain tribal support through implementing schemes, but many of them are on paper only. Overall, the state BJP unit is struggling to come out with some different strategies to lure the voters during the Assembly elections," said Mithun Ahirwar, a Congress spokesperson.
This time, the Congress also felt relief to some extent due to escalating factionalism within the ruling BJP. During the winter session of state assembly recently, a BJP minister said the Congress had won 2018 elections because Jyotiraditya Scindia was made Chief Minister's face. Replying to that, a senior Congress leader said, "Now, you can make him (Scindia) CM's face, and you will find better results."
The BJP, however, maintains that the party will contest 2023 assembly elections on development issues.
"The Congress is in daydream mode these days, so let them be," a BJP spokesperson said. "The people know what has happened during the 15-month Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh today is one of the destinations for G-20 summit-related international events. These are the BJP's achievements."
Looking back, the spokesperson said: "The people were living in fear when the Congress was briefly in the government because of 'Gunda Raj'. The BJP has destroyed Gunda Raj. Madhya Pradesh used to be a strong hub of SIMI. Where are they today?"
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